Chapter Text
Early September
Minghao was thankful that his friends from high school, Mingyu and Seokmin, were at the same college as him. Minghao wouldn't consider himself that introverted, but he knew it would be difficult for him if he didn't have a friend around him. Sadly, he was the odd one out of the trio and got stuck with a stranger as a roommate while Mingyu and Seokmin were roommates. Luckily, they were just one floor below Minghao so it wasn't all that bad.
"Yo Minghao," his roommate, Bambam, called out to him so he could hear him over his music.
Minghao paused his music and looked over at the other. "Yeah?"
"Have you seen this new dance?" Bambam asked, turning his phone around. "The song is by Silento. I gotta learn these moves," the other said with a smile.
"I think I saw some cover videos of it the other day."
"Really?! Let's make one!"
Bambam was a dancer like Minghao, and the two appreciated dance trends which helped them get along well when they first met. It had only been two weeks since the school year began, but Minghao felt like Bambam had been his friend for a while already.
"Are you gonna put it on your YouTube channel?" Minghao questioned.
"Duh! No reason to make a video if you aren't gonna show off."
Minghao felt anxious about the situation, but he had promised to make a couple videos with Bambam already. They even did some roommate tag to help each other get to know each other. Minghao read through some comments on the video and got embarrassed over all the people saying how handsome or cute he looked. Since then, he has been wary to be on more videos. He would probably get too embarrassed after thinking about those comments.
"When do you want to film it?"
"I don't know. I want to ask my boy Yugyeom to join too. Speaking of which, I need to go meet him before class," Bambam said as he quickly through on his shoes and grabbed his back pack.
"You always seem dressed up even when you aren't," Minghao observed. Bambam had on a plain black shirt that was tucked into some ripped jeans, ankle boots, and a pink hat.
"It is all about how you present yourself," Bambam said with a laugh as he put in some earrings and put on a couple rings. "See ya."
"Bye," Minghao replied.
Silence filled the room. Minghao didn't really enjoy being in the room alone. It was weird for him. He pulled out his phone and message on the group chat he had with Seokmin and Mingyu to see where they were.
"Yo are you guys free right now?"
"Mingyu is at art class right now. I'm with these guys I met at the gym. Come to the dining area if you are free."
"On my way."
Minghao slipped on some shoes and put his headphones back on. He gave himself a quick once over in the mirror and decided his tshirt and shorts were good enough. His legs were thin, but Bambam's were much thinner at least.
"Minghao," Seokmin called out to him when he got to the dining hall, "over here."
Minghao let his headphones fall around his neck as he took a seat next to Seokmin.
"You guys, this is my friend from high school, Minghao. This is Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Jun. They are a year above us."
"Hey," Minghao said to the group.
"Nice to meet you," Seungcheol said to him, extending a hand. Jeonghan just smiled while Jun just nodded.
Seokmin and Seungcheol told Minghao about the quick basketball game they had in the gym while Jeonghan and Jun talked about something else. Eventually the two got roped into the conversation, and Jeonghan retold how he easily did a layup past them. Jun was called out for messing around more than playing. He scratched at his head and said, playfully, "Oh, did I?"
Minghao laughed slightly at the action causing Jun to smile warmly at him. Minghao felt a weird pang in his heart, but he didn't have time to think about it because his phone started ringing.
"Ah it's my mom. One second," he said to the others as he shifted away. "Hello, mom. How are you?" He began speaking in Chinese. Seokmin was unphased by the action, but the other boys perked up, especially Jun.
When Minghao finished the call, he turned back to all eyes on him. He felt heat rise in his cheeks as he looked between the people staring at him. "Wh-what? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"We didn't realize you were Chinese," Seungcheol observed. "But sorry. That's rude for us to stare."
"What part of China are you from?" Jun asked in Chinese.
It was Minghao's turn to be surprised, but he still replied easily. "Anshan in Liaoning. What about you?"
"Shenzhen in Guangdong. I moved her in the beginning of high school."
"Me too," Minghao replied.
The two smiled at each other. Instantly, the two conversed and shared stories with each other in their native tongue. Minghao explained how hard it was to adapt to a new language, but he had Mingyu and Seokmin to help him. Jun explained that he didn't really have anyone as he was too shy to try and make friends. Minghao was surprised by this remark as the older seemed like someone that oozed confidence.
"Really? You seem like someone who makes friends easily."
"Now I can. Sort of. It's easier for me to talk to people now since I am more confident with the language, but I still get nervous around big crowds or when I'm suddenly roped into a conversation."
"I know how that fells," Minghao said with a giggle.
"That was cute," Jun said with a smirk.
"Huh?" Minghao was flustered by the sudden statement, but his phone began to ring again before Jun could reply.
"What's up, Bambam?"
"Dude, I left my key in the room. Where are you? I need to grab something before my next class."
"Oh okay. I'm just in the dining hall so I will be right there." Minghao hung up and quickly stood up. "It was nice meeting you guys, but I gotta let my roommate into our room. See you later, Seokmin."
Jun tried to say something to Minghao, but the younger was already walking away quickly.
"You good, Jun?" Seungcheol asked as Jun stared after Minghao.
"I wanted to ask for his number," Jun remarked.
"Minghao is private. He doesn't give out his contact info so easily nor does he share much about himself," Seokmin observed before continuing his conversation with Jeonghan.
"But he just told me all that," Jun whispered to himself. Something about Minghao made him feel at home. His heart hurt thinking about how he may not see him again.
Early October
"Minghao! Sit next to me," Jun called out to Minghao as the 97-line trio showed up to where he was sitting with Jeonghan, Seungcheol, and Joshua. The four had been chilling outside the food shops, trying to decide if they wanted to go to a movie later that night. Minghao quieted an eyebrow at Jun, deciding to sit in the space next to Joshua instead. Seokmin took a seat next to Jun and Mingyu sat across from them.
"You have been hitting on him for a month now, and still nothing?" Seokmin teased.
"Shut up," Jun pouted. He was glad for the space between him and Minghao now so he could vent to Seokmin.
"He still hasn't even given me his number."
"How did you ask for it?" Mingyu inquired.
"The first time I used a pickup line."
"Dang! Wrong move," Seokmin said.
"He rejected so I waited a couple days and just asked normally. I said it was so it would be easier to communicate if we wanted to hangout."
"He rejected that?" Mingyu asked.
"He said we don't hangout alone so we wouldn't need to be in direct contact," Jun sighed.
"I told you he doesn't give out his information lightly," Seokmin pointed out before leaving Jun to sulk while he asked Mingyu about some class.
Jun couldn't understand why Minghao was so private. They seemed to hit it off so well when they first met. They shared hardships about moving and spoke comfortably in their native tongue with each other. That was something Jun was only able to do with his family. Maybe that's why talking with Minghao made his heart flutter so much. Seokmin claimed Minghao didn't share much, but he seemed to share easily with Jun that time. Then again, Minghao could be comfortable sharing that story.
"Jun? Jun??? Yo, Junhui!" Seungcheol called out to him.
Jun came out of his thoughts and looked at the older with a confused expression. "What? Why are you calling me?"
"Were you still up for the movies? We'd like if you could drive some of us."
"Oh yeah, sure. How many?"
Seungcheol counted around the table and replied, "My car can hold three others so just two would go with you."
"That's fine with me. You're parked near me, right?"
"Yeah. We will meet up at 9."
The group agreed on the plans and went their separate ways, most to their afternoon classes or to their respective dorms. Jun couldn't help stare after Minghao as he headed off with Mingyu and Seokmin. He felt a pang in his heart again.
9 o'clock rolled around and went with Jun waiting by his car with Seungcheol and Jeonghan. Joshua ended up deciding not to come last minute. The oldest was starting to get anxious as he kept checking his watch. "You told Seokmin where we were parked right?"
"Yeah," replied Jun. "I told him we were in C3, right outside the mailroom office." Jun pointed across the way to the mailroom building, easily seen by them from the cars. The trio waited there another ten minutes before Seokmin and Mingyu finally showed up.
"It's almost 9:30," Seungcheol said with a tone of annoyance and worry. "You could've texted that you would be late."
"Yeah, sorry," Mingyu said. "We got roped into some things and lost track of time."
"Where's Minghao?" Jun asked, realizing the lack of one in the trio.
"Oh right. He forgot his room key, remembering halfway over, and had to go get it. Apparently, his roommate will be out later so he would be stuck if he didn't get it."
"Should we all wait for him?" Jeonghan asked. "The movie starts soon."
"Let's just have Jun wait for him while the rest of us get tickets and seats," Seokmin suggested.
"Wh-what?" Jun stuttered.
"Sounds good. The movie just came out last week, and I want to see it before I can't avoid spoilers anymore," Seungcheol said, unlocking his car. The others piled in as Jun tried to question the plan.
Seokmin set a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm trying to help you out. It'll only be for like ten minutes, but you'll be alone with Minghao."
"He might get mad at you guys for leaving him," Jun countered.
"That's our problem. Trust me. The best way to get people comfortable and talking with each other is to leave them alone with each other."
"I don't know if-"
"You'll see I'm right soon," Seokmin sang, a huge smile on his face, as he climbed into the car. They drove off, leaving Jun waiting. Minghao took another ten minutes to arrive, a confused look plastered on his face.
"I know I'm late, but I'm pretty sure the others were ahead of me."
"They were," Jun said cooly. "They decided to go on ahead to get tickets and spots to sit. Climb in."
"Just us? Why couldn't they just wait?" Minghao questioned.
"We will see them down there," Jun said, trying not to be hurt by Minghao's displeasure to the situation.
The younger stayed put for a second before climbing into the car. Jun decided he wanted to be out of this situation as soon as possible and wasted no time with unnecessary chatter. He didn't like this idea of forcing Minghao to talk to him even if he didn't want to. Jun didn't think Seokmin would be right.
That idea was justified when Minghao took to looking out the window and tapping along to the beat of the song playing on the radio. Jun stayed focused on the road, trying not to think about how much he wanted to comfortably talk with Minghao. Sadly, they hadn't done that in a while. Jun couldn't help his friendliness towards the other after their first meeting nor could he help expressing his feeling of interest. He didn't think he was being too bold or annoying. It was just simple pickup lines or compliments. However, every time Minghao called him gross, gave him a cold shoulder, or side eyed him. Jun didn't know which one made him feel worse.
The ride only took a couple minutes, but it felt like hour long awkward silence. "You were unusually quiet," Minghao said as Jun parked. Jun looked over at the other, but Minghao wasn't looking at him. Instead, he just stepped out of the car. Jun felt his mood drop as he slowly got out of the car. "Not even a line?" Minghao questioned as they walked up to the front of the movie theater. "Seems someone's confidence is low," Minghao teased.
On other days, Jun would be understanding of Minghao's sass as he does it with everyone, but Jun had too many feelings in his head at the moment. Feelings that clouded his ability to filter his words.
"Why would I use a line on someone who is just going to ignore me? Don't even act like you would've talked with me if I said something in the car," Jun hissed. Minghao stopped in his tracks.
"What's your problem?"
"Nothing. Sorry. You should go enjoy the movie. I'm not in the mood," Jun rushed his words before walking quickly to his car again. He paid no mind to Minghao calling after him and just drove back up to the school.
He made his way back to his dorm and flopped on his bed. His phone began to buzz with messages from Seokmin and Seungcheol, but he just shut it off. He could feel tears brimming in his eyes. Maybe he should just give up on Minghao. It was obvious the other didn't like him even as just a friend. There first conversation wasn't anything special.
Late October
Minghao noticed Jun didn't acknowledge him or talk to him for the next two weeks. Every time Minghao came up to the group, everyone would greet him but Jun. When plans were being made and he had something to say, everyone would look at him but Jun. Goodbyes were given by everyone but Jun. Everything without Jun.
Minghao had felt bad for making Jun snap at him that night, but he never meant to make the other completely hate him. Then again, what reason had he actually given him to like him in the first place.
"You were a dick," Mingyu told Minghao.
"Agree," Seokmin added.
The three were chilling in the duo's dorm, some jazz music filling the air as background noise. Minghao had decided to vent to the two about how Jun had been acting towards him lately.
"Did you even want to be friends?"
"If he stopped hitting on me," Minghao said.
"Then you should've been direct with your rejection. Instead, you just made it seem like you hated his existence," Mingyu replied.
Minghao frowned at the statement, but he knew it was true. He wasn't a PDA type, and he didn't like Jun openly flirting. It annoyed him. The annoyance towards flirting turned into annoyance whenever he was around Jun, but Minghao knew he was a good guy. The others enjoyed him and he made conversation with them well. In fact, Minghao wasn't always his focus before anyway. "God. I'm a dick," Minghao sighed, burying his face in his hands. "What do I do?"
"What do you want to do? If you don't care to be his friend, then don't do anything. It's not like you need to talk to him when we are with the others. But, if you want to be his friend, then I'd start with apologizing."
"Also, do something nice if you apologize," Mingyu added.
"Like what?"
"We can't come up with everything for you, Minghao," Seokmin laughed.
"Right," Minghao sighed.
Minghao found out from Seungcheol that Jun went to the coffee shop on campus every Saturday morning after he woke up. The younger decided that would be a good time to talk to Jun alone without making a scene.
Minghao went into the coffee shop a little after 9 and saw Jun sitting in the back corner. He was reading a book and sipping coffee. Minghao walked over and asked, "Can I sit?"
Jun looked startled by Minghao for a second before letting his face fall blank. He looked back down at his book and casually said, "You can sit where you want. I'm not stopping you." Minghao could hear the sharpness of his words. He really had been treating Jun badly.
Minghao sat down and waited for Jun to put down his book. However, the older kept reading like Minghao wasn't even there. After a couple minutes, Minghao decided to just talk even if the other didn't listen or reply. It seems he would get a taste of his own medicine.
"I want to start by saying I'm sorry for that night. For being so rude to you this whole time." Jun's eyes stayed on his book. "I realized that if I wasn't happy with your flirting I should've been direct. I ended up just being really rude instead of trying to let you know my feelings properly."
Minghao let the words linger in the air, waiting for a response. The silence stayed for a couple minutes before Jun marked his page, set his book down, and stared back at Minghao with a blank expression. The guy was either a great actor or was too pissed at Minghao to give him the benefit of emotions.
"I was rude to you Jun. I should've just said I wasn't interested instead of treating you like shit."
"That would've been nice," Jun replied coldly.
"We had a good talk when we first met, but I just...I don't have people be so direct with me like how you were. I'm not someone people usually flirt with."
"Well, I'm someone who flirts. I'm just like that. Friends or those I am interested in."
"I realize that now," Minghao said. "I'm sorry. I want to get to know you better as a friend. Oh, here." Minghao took his phone from his pocket and opened it up to his messages. "Put in your number."
Jun stared at the phone being offered to him. Minghao didn't even realize this was a gesture Jun had been waiting for. Although, the younger could tell Jun was contemplating heavily before slowly taking the phone and typing in his number. He sent Minghao's name as a message and felt his phone buzz. Jun pulled out his phone and saved the number while Minghao took his own back and did the same.
"Yeah so if you want to meet up or talk just message-"
"See you later, Minghao," Jun said abruptly, leaving Minghao, mouth still open from talking mid-sentence. The younger just had to watch as the older walked away. He thought he had repaired things, but this was a wound that would take time to heal.
It had barely been three months since school started and so much had happened already. So much was yet to come.